Regardless of where you find yourself in your career (recent graduate, mid-career or executive level), there is always a need for you to surround yourself with mentors.

It is important that companies offer a mentoring program so that employees have a resource to expand their knowledge as well as to have a “go-to” person for any questions that are encountered.  It is also a great program for new employees to be able to grow within an organization, plus it shows that the company is invested in its employees.

But, not all companies offer a mentoring program.  You may find yourself either in a company that does not have a formal mentoring program or you may neither have a mentor nor know where to begin looking for one.

I firmly believe that everyone should have mentors.  Notice I said mentors, plural.  You may have one person you speak with more often than others, but you should have more than one mentor to leverage.  Why?  Each mentor will be able to add a different value to your career and add a different perspective to help you grow.  Do not limit yourself to one person and do not try to latch onto everyone you encounter.  Find a few (two, three, four) professionals you connect with very well, whose opinions you trust and value.  Try your best to forge strong relationships with them.

Who you should look towards to be a mentor:

• College Professor – A great individual to keep in touch with as a mentor.  Academia is a fantastic way to keep in touch with trends and professors are always reading and writing as a part of their profession.  They also instruct many others and will keep in touch with a diverse group of former students.  Staying connected and having a support structure in place when you graduate will certainly help your career foundation.
• Colleague (or former colleague) – You will work alongside many individuals throughout your career and you will learn which ones are genuine in their desire to see you succeed.  These are the people you want to associate with over the years.  Share ideas, talk about new opportunities and discuss innovative thoughts in a mentoring exchange.  You will both be working to advance each others’ careers while building up mutual respect.
• Manager (or former manager) – This is someone who has already been in your role and who has worked to overcome hurdles similar to those which you are involved with currently.  Managers often make great mentors because they not only have been in your situation before, but they have a vested interest in seeing you succeed.
• Third Party – This is a catch-all group for anyone else you may encounter.  You may have met someone through a networking event.  At a mutual friend’s gathering.  Or maybe through a social networking site.  These are excellent individuals for you to connect with because they can provide a more varied knowledge base than those who work at your company .  There may be more of a feeling out period as well as a growing trust factor.  However, these relationships may be the most valuable because of the vast range of information that you will be able to share with each other.

Who should you avoid as a mentor:

• Family Members and Friends – These will most likely be the first groups you will look towards to use as a mentor.  However, friends and family are usually not the people you want to turn to in order to get honest, impartial feedback.  Due to the nature of your relationship, it is likely that a certain level of emotion will find its way into the conversation. While it is obviously worthwhile to have an open and honest relationship with your friends and family, they are not likely to be an ideal sounding board for business and career ideas.

One common theme you will see in all of these mentoring roles is a strong need for trust.  If you are able to wholeheartedly trust your mentor and they trust that you are listening and incorporating their ideas, these are relationships that have limitless boundaries.

As important as it is for you to have strong mentors, do not forget to be a mentor to others.  Share your knowledge and experience to help others develop.  Also remember that everyone you help will become someone that will be willing to help you out when they have the chance (hopefully!).  Surrounding yourself with smart people, whether they are helping you or you are helping them, will only further help you grow.

Pay it forward.

Create a Remarkable Web Presence at Brand-Yourself.com

After identifying and consulting your mentor on a regular basis, it’s time to create a visible web presence to further benefit from this relationship. Did you know that more than half of employers are more likely to hire you if you’ve spent time developing your personal brand across social networks? To help you do this, we built a platform to manage your online reputation from one central hub. Create your Brand-Yourself account today and see how our tools can help you build, optimize and promote a remarkable web presence that gets you hired.

—
Keith McIlvaine is a Social Media Strategist within HR and Recruiting for a Fortune 500 company.  When he is not focused on leveraging social media and networking, Keith is also a personal branding coach and social media mentor.  He is passionate about his family and is a major soccer fanatic.  Follow Keith on Twitter or connect on LinkedIn.  The statements I have posted on this site are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.

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You know how it goes sometimes at networking events.

You’ve barely introduced yourself to someone new and gotten through your brand positioning statement (or 30 second pitch) when they jump in and ask you to help them with something- a formal introduction to someone at your company … or advice on who to connect with there … or something else.

What??? This complete stranger expects you to do them a favor already?

They’re not practicing “give to get” networking. They should be slowly and gently building relationships by giving of themselves, before asking for help.

Networking that benefits everyone is all about helping, sharing, finding common ground, and being a good listener.

Listening well is a powerful way to attract people to you and keep them there, ready and willing to help you, because:

• Most people love to talk about themselves and to be heard with intent interest by the listener.
• Most people are not being listened to, but crave it.
• Most people, especially at networking events, have their own agenda and are interested in your needs.
• Being listened to makes people feel valued and good about themselves.
• Most people are in such a hurry to move on to the next shiny object that they’re bowled over by someone who slows down and takes time to listen to them.

Too many people these days are overly self-absorbed and have short attention spans. Keen listening is becoming a lost art, along with so many other basic courtesies and good manners. It’s a rare personal attribute – one that is greatly valued and can differentiate you from your peers.

People remember those who give them that boost by being truly interested in what they have to say. They are much more inclined to keep considerate good listeners at the top of their mind when they hear of an opportunity that may be a good fit for them.

Are you a good listener in these important ways?

• Do you listen for cues that will tell you how you may be able to help the speaker?
• Do you keep in mind others in your network as you’re talking with people, in order to determine if they may be able to help each other?
• Do you ask questions and listen to challenges facing their companies? Maybe you’re the answer to their problems. If you’re not, maybe you know someone who is.
• Do you listen carefully to determine whether this is someone you want to network with further or if she/he is an energy-drainer who will take more than they’ll give? After all, it’s nearly impossible, and quite exhausting, to be a sounding board for everyone who needs your ear.

Your takeaway:

Good listeners set themselves up for reciprocity in networking. Being an intent listener may just make you more memorable than the powerful personal brand message you express when networking.

An Executive Personal Branding, Online Identity and Job Search Strategist, Meg is a 20-year careers industry professional and one of only a handful of people worldwide to hold both the Reach Certified Personal Branding Strategist and Master Resume Writer credentials.

“I love my work collaborating with savvy corporate leaders and entrepreneurs who know where they’re going, but need help differentiating their unique promise of value in the new world of work and executive job search, and positioning themselves to work their passion. My clients are typically c-suite, senior-level executives and rising stars.”

Find out more about Meg at Executive Career Brand, and by viewing her LinkedIn profile and following her on Twitter.

Create a Remarkable Web Presence at Brand-Yourself.com

Once you’ve improved your networking skills, it’s time to create a visible web presence to put these networking skills to use. Did you know that more than half of employers are more likely to hire you if you’ve spent time developing your personal brand across social networks? To help you do this, we built a platform to manage your online reputation froCm one central hub. Create your Brand-Yourself account today and see how our tools can help you build, optimize and promote a remarkable web presence that gets you hired.

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Most people hate networking events. If you’re an introvert, you probably avoid them like the plague. But even extraverts can become introverts when faced with a room full of people they don’t know. Networking is a bit like the medicine your doctor gives you: it may taste bad, but you know it’s good for you.

Illustration by Romolo Tassone

By now, I hope you know that networking is your key to getting a new or better job. I’ll give you a slightly different twist on the reason for this: most hiring managers aren’t too secure about their hiring abilities, so they’re predisposed to take suggestions from others. Sometimes hiring managers are just too lazy to look for the right person. And sometimes the person who’s networked into the organization showed so much imagination and fortitude that they deserve to be hired. (Hint: that should be you.)

So, let me share a basic truth about resume reviews, tests, and all the other screening “stuff” people do. These tests are designed to predict failure, not success. (And that goes for SATs and all the other tests you’ve taken over the years.) If we could predict success as easily as we can predict failure, we’d all be rich.

What does that have to do with networking, or introverts? Most of you aren’t going to get jobs by answering ads on Craigslist or trolling through HotJobs or Monster, which is where introverts like to hang out. The best way to get a job (or a better one) is to get directly to the hiring manager and plead your case. And one of the best ways to do that is by broadening your personal network at events, meetings, etc.

If you agree with that, but you’re still feeling shy, here are some suggestions:

1. 1.  Try to pick a networking venue that meets regularly. Go there a few times – it’s OK to be quiet in the first couple of meetings, but eventually, you’re going to recognize other “regulars,” and you’ll feel generally more comfortable. You’ll become more outgoing automatically.
2. 2.  Make sure you know something about the topic of the meeting – do your homework first! When I first started going to SVASE (Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneurs) meetings, I didn’t understand much of what people were discussing – but that changed by the 2^nd or 3^rd meeting, because I noted the hot topics, and researched them before going back.
3. Understand the dynamics of small groups – it’s easy to talk to somebody who’s standing alone. Not too bad to get into a group of two people. Much harder to get a discussion going with three people.
4. Live by the rules… I’ve written before about the six seconds you have to introduce yourself. You’ve probably been taught all about the elevator pitch, but that’s not how you introduce yourself! You need a good personal branding statement. Mine is: “Hi, I’m Walt Feigenson, and I help you get found on the Internet.” If yours is crisp and interesting, you will be invited to give your elevator pitch (and keep it to under 30 seconds!).
5. Don’t set your standards too high. Some people will network with everyone in a room, and some with just a few. It’s OK to do whatever is comfortable for you. If you meet 20-30 people in one event, you simply can’t connect with any one of them on a deep enough level to be meaningful.
6. Try to end your meet up with an action item (if the person seems interesting). This could be something as simple as a follow-up email or an oral invitation to link on LinkedIn.
7. When you get home after the event, make a note on each card you collected about where you met the person. Select the people you want to follow up with, and,,, well, you should know the rest.

Here are a couple of useful ideas for anybody, not just introverts:

• Put your picture on your business cards. It’s much easier for somebody you meet to remember your face than your name. You may think this is hokey, but it works.
• Wear your name tag on your right side, not your left. This does two things: 1) it makes it far easier for your new contact to see your name tag when you shake hands, and 2) it’s a subtle indicator that you really know something about networking.

One last thought. There’s more than one kind of networking. I do a lot of public speaking, even though I’m an introvert. For some reason, I’m more comfortable talking to a roomful of people than networking one-on-one. So my networking is through public speaking. One of the key benefits of that is that people come to you for networking, so it’s really easy to establish new friendships. There might be an analog for you, perhaps public service of some kind…Find what works, and make it happen!

Create a Remarkable Web Presence at Brand-Yourself.com

Once you’ve improved your networking skills, it’s time to create a visible web presence to put these networking skills to use. Did you know that more than half of employers are more likely to hire you if you’ve spent time developing your personal brand across social networks? To help you do this, we built a platform to manage your online reputation froCm one central hub. Create your Brand-Yourself account today and see how our tools can help you build, optimize and promote a remarkable web presence that gets you hired.

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Blog readers really are an amazing group.  They provide constructive criticism, detailed feedback, pats on the back – all great things to help you and your blog improve.  But, you know what?  You can write a highly successful blog without having a single reader today, tomorrow, or for the next year.  Don’t believe me?  Here are three “secret” reasons that I guarantee will change your mind.

1.   Writing a blog forces you to constantly research your given niche.

Until I started writing a blog on the subject, personal branding was just a thought stuck in the back of my mind that would only occasionally pop to the front.  Now, the game has changed entirely.  I constantly seek relevant articles, search Twitter, and think out loud about what my next blog post might be.

For you current bloggers out there, I am certain the same is true.  Whatever your given subject, you will approach it with more focus and passion if you dedicate a few hours every week to write about it.

Now consider a situation in which you don’t know, or more importantly don’t care, how many readers you have (if any).  Simply out of the necessity and passion to write, your day-to-day interest on your subject would still be amplified.  Constant research and knowledge building will surely help you in your endeavors, even if a set of eyes never reads the words you’ve written.

2. Writing a blog provides an unparalleled outlet to hone your writing skills.

Past Technorati data estimated the total number of bloggers worldwide at 184 million.  That may seem like a big number, but given that there are 6.7 billion people out there, bloggers represent only a small fraction of the population.  If you’re among them, you are one of the few people that actually practices writing on a regular basis.

The ability to write well is a skill that is dying out quickly.  This next generation will think 141 characters is far too long to write on any one subject.  By writing a blog, you exercise a muscle that most never use (past the moment that college diploma hits their fingertips).  Like anything else, writing takes practice, practice, and more practice – something a blog provides, readers or no readers.

3. A blog can be used down the road as proof of authority.

Imagine a situation in which you regularly write kick-ass blog posts for an entire year without ever attaining a single reader.  You see a listing for your dream job, and the role just so happens to mesh perfectly with your blog’s subject.    You submit your resume with a link to your blog, the hiring manager reads it, and she is blown away by your brilliance – you get the job with ease.  Did she care that you never amassed a following? No.  Did she even know?  Probably not.

It is funny that blogs are so closely tied to readership figures.  When I read the newspaper, or a book, I care not how many other folks have read the same piece – I only care about the words on the paper.

Use your blog first as a tool to grow, refine, and exude your authority.  Yes, the more readers the better.  Yes, blog readers may  potentially turn into long-lasting connections.  But, I hope I’ve proven that your blog can be a huge success no matter how many site visitors you happen to attain.

Ryan Rancatore can also be found on his own website, Personal Branding 101, discussing the tools and tactics that will help you build a killer personal brand in 2010 and beyond.

Ryan would love nothing more than to connect with you on Twitter at @RyanRancatore, or on Linkedin, Facebook, or Brazen Careerist.

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